Kenya Coffee School (KCS)
Specialty Coffee Intermediate Diploma
30-Day Intensive Curriculum (30 Points)
Duration: 30 Days (4 Weeks + Final Assessment)
Mode: Theory (30%) | Practical (70%)
Award: Kenya Coffee School Intermediate Diploma
Week 1 – Advanced Espresso & Grinder Technology
Day 1
- Orientation
- Intermediate Coffee Standards
- Coffee Quality Parameters
- Health & Safety
Day 2
- Advanced Espresso Extraction
- Brewing Ratios
- Yield Calculations
- Pressure Profiling
Day 3
- Grinder Technology
- Burr Types
- Particle Distribution
- Dialing-in Methods
Day 4
- Espresso Recipe Development
- Brew Time Optimization
- Consistency Testing
Day 5
- Water Science
- Water Hardness
- Filtration Systems
- Water for Espresso
Day 6
- Practical Assessment
- Multiple Espresso Recipes
Day 7
- Weekly Practical Examination
Week 2 – Coffee Roasting & Green Coffee
Day 8
- Fundamentals of Coffee Roasting
- Heat Transfer
- Roast Curves
Day 9
- Coffee Roasting Stages
- Drying Phase
- Maillard Reaction
- Development Time
Day 10
- Roast Defects
- Underdevelopment
- Baking
- Scorching
- Tipping
Day 11
- Roast Profile Design
Day 12
- Green Coffee Evaluation
- Moisture
- Density
- Bean Size
- Defects
Day 13
- Practical Roasting Sessions
Day 14
- Roast Evaluation Examination
Week 3 – Coffee Chemistry & Coffee Machinery
Day 15
- Coffee Chemistry
- Acids
- Sugars
- Lipids
- Aromatics
Day 16
- Extraction Science
- TDS
- Extraction Yield
- Solubility
Day 17
- Coffee Machinery Technology
- Espresso Machine Components
- Boilers
- Pumps
- Group Heads
Day 18
- Preventive Maintenance
- Calibration
- Troubleshooting
Day 19
- Preventive Maintenance Workshop
Day 20
- Machine Servicing Practical
Day 21
- Weekly Practical Examination
Week 4 – Café Operations & Professional Skills
Day 22
- Workflow Optimization
- Speed Service
Day 23
- Café Operations
- Production Planning
- Inventory Control
Day 24
- Specialty Coffee Brewing
- V60
- AeroPress
- Chemex
- French Press
Day 25
- Customer Experience
- Complaint Handling
- Professional Communication
Day 26
- Costing
- Menu Engineering
- Beverage Profitability
Day 27
- Entrepreneurship
- Coffee Business Models
Day 28
- Mock Café Simulation
Day 29
- Final Practical Examination
Day 30
- Final Written Examination
- Viva Voce
- Graduation Briefing
- Career Development Session
Practical Skills Students Must Demonstrate
- Advanced espresso extraction
- Grinder calibration and dialing-in
- Roast profiling
- Green coffee evaluation
- Coffee brewing using multiple methods
- Espresso machine servicing
- Water quality testing
- Coffee chemistry interpretation
- Café workflow management
- Beverage costing
- Equipment cleaning and maintenance
- Customer service excellence
Core Learning Outcomes
By the end of the Intermediate Diploma, students should be able to:
- Roast specialty coffee using different roast profiles.
- Calibrate grinders for consistent espresso extraction.
- Diagnose and maintain espresso machines.
- Apply coffee chemistry principles to improve cup quality.
- Evaluate green coffee according to specialty standards.
- Optimize café workflow and beverage consistency.
- Develop profitable beverage recipes.
- Prepare for the Kenya Coffee School Professional Diploma.
This curriculum aligns with the Kenya Coffee School progression, where the Intermediate Level (30 Points) focuses on coffee roasting, grinder fundamentals, coffee machinery technology, coffee chemistry, extraction science, and advanced technical skills before advancing to the Professional Level.